Photographic enlarger



Sept. 3, 1940. c. J. HUGHEY PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGER F iled March 11, 1959 l wwv CARTER J flue/15y Patented Sept. 3, 1940 t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGER Carter J. Hughey, Rochester, N. Y., assignor'to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation 01' New Jersey Application March 11, 1939, Serial No. 261,269

Claims. (01. 88-24) The present invention relates to photographic Referring now to the drawing, a photographic enlargers, and particularly to an enlarger havenlarger y co p e a base which y be ing a removable condenser unit, and to the manlarge enou o co s tu e e P p e s for e ner of locking said condenser unit in place in sensitive paper. Extending vertically from, and said enlarger. fixed to the base I0, is a post H, along which a One object of the present invention is to pro- S pp arm I? y be adjusted and clamped vide a photographic enlarger in which the conby a l mp c ew 3. Th nl r er h ad as denser are so mounted that they can be removed a W o y include e tubular Portion from, or inserted into, said enlarger as a unit. i a sl t 5 ex di ansv s y and par- Another object of the present invention is to tielly therethrellgh, end which 5101? y s m provide a photographic enlarger having a holtut a n iv y n space int w h a n low condenser unit receiving portion into which ative carrier It: may b a y d t locate a condenser unit of slightly smaller dimensions a ne iv carried h y in p p r m r than said receiving portion can be removably inp on e tubule! pertieh y include a serted. And still another object is to provide an sha t ll x din t r u h a d ei otata ly enlarger wherein the condenser unit is provided mounted in e J'Ollrhel p d 011 e d with a pivoted handle for facilitating the han- 0f the pp ng arm l2 so that the enlarger dling of the same. Afurther object is to provide head as a Wh may be rotated through 90 an enlarger of the type described wherein the degrees relative to the post H for horizontal pro- 30 handle for said condenser unit is adapted to lock J' o as W as Vertical p j as shown. said unit in place in the enlarger when moved y Su Clamping means, Such as knob to its folded position. And yet another object y b pr vi for lo ng th enlarger head is to provide a condenser unit which can be sepas a whole n a v n p i of i n, and arated to provide access to the condenser lenses an index ring marked in degrees ay be mounted therein for the ready removal thereof. p v de On Shaft IT to Cooperate With an index, And another object is to provide an arrangement not s w o e jo l8 indieeting wh of the type described which is easy to maniputhe enlarger head is in the exact position of relate, cheap to manufacture, and efficient in opt on desired. eration. To the bottom of the tubular portion M, and.

The novel features that I consider charactercovering the openin x e in therethreugh, is an istic of my invention are set forth with particfixe n end f a ws he o r end of ularity in the appended claims. The inventi said bellows being connected to the lens carrier itself, however, both as to its organization and 22 in e Well-known and for directing its method of operation, together with additionhe projec d im e f h e ve o a lens in 21 objects and advantages thereof, will best be said carrier without the entrance of extraneous understood from the following description of a t- The lens carrier 22 y include a p specific embodiment when read in connection tion 23 embracing a rod 24 extending downwith the accompanying drawing in which, wardly from the bottom of said tubular portion Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a photographic l4, and along which rod said lens carrier may enlarger adapted to receive a removable conbe adjusted for focusing purposes. The lens I denser unit in accordance with the present incarrier may be locked in a g en dj d D vention, and showing a condenser unit, consition of focus by a clamp screw 25. A filter structed in accordance with a preferred embodholder 6 may be pivotally mounted on the botiment of the present invention, in place therein, tom of the lens carrier 22 so as to swing into and Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the conout of alignment with a lens in said carrier as is denser unit with the bail thereon in folded, or well known.

locking, position, Extending upwardly from and fixed in the tu- Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the removable conbular portion 14 is a cylindrical condenser unit denser unit with the bail raised to its lifting poreceiving portion 26. The top of said receiving sition, and portion 26 is open and provided with a. saucer- Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial vertical section of shaped flange 27. The lamphouse comprises a the enlarger shown in Fig. 1, and showing the spherical shell 28 the bottom of which is opened condenser unit locked in place therein. and is provided with a neck 29 which is adapt- Like reference characters refer to corresponded to telescope with the open end of the receiving parts throughout the drawing. ing portion 26 of the enlarger head. When the lamphouse is placed on the receiving portion 28 the curved bottom thereof is supported by the saucer-shaped flange on the upper end of the receiving portion 26, see Fig. 4. Any suitable means may be provided for removably attaching the lamphouse 28 to the receiving portion 26 so that the lamphouse can be removed to change the bulb 30, or remove the condenser unit for cleaning purposes. By way of illustrating one suitable attaching means, I have shown the sancer-shaped flange 21 provided with a plurality of bayonet slots 3| with which headed studs 32 on the lamphouse are adapted to cooperate in a well-known manner.

The condenser unit, indicated generally at 33, is cylindrical in shape and has an outside diameter slightly less than theinside diameter of the receiving portion 26 of the enlarger head so that said condenser unit may be slid into and out of said receiving portion through the open end thereof after the lamphouse 28 has been removed. The walls of the condenser unit 33 are formed, as by casting, stamping, or the like, depending upon what material the same is made from, with a series of peripheral grooves 3d the bottoms of which are preferably square to receive the ends of the mounting rings 35 in which the condenser lenses 36 and 36 are mounted, or to seat a heat absorbing glass 31, as shown. Each condenser lens is fixedly mounted in a mounting ring 35 so that in changing the lenses, or removing the same for cleaning purposes, the lens and ring 35 are removed as a unit from the condenser unit 33. The peripheral grooves 34 may be suitably spaced so that when the condenser lenses are placed in said unit they will be spaced from one another to be optically correct.

So as to make it possible to readily remove the condenser lenses from the condenser unit, said unit may be made in halves as indicated in Fig. 3, whereby they are capable of separation along the line 38. These two halves may be releasably connected in abutting relation by having a lug 39 fastened to one half of the condenser unit adjacent the dividing line 38 thereof, by soldering,

or the like, so as to overlap the other half when the two halves are abutted. The two halves may then be fastened together by a screw 40 passing through the lug 39 and being threaded into a tapped opening it in the other half of the condenser unit. The two halves of the condenser unit 33 may be connected at diametrically opposite sides by means described, or if desired, the two may be hinged at one side, providing, of course, the hinge, if external, does not extend beyond the periphery of the unit enough to engage the Walls of the receiving portion 26 to prevent the condenser unit from being inserted thereinto freely. A hinge for this purpose located internally of the condenser unit could be used to overcome this noted possibility.

On the upper end of each half of the condenser unit, and adjacent the line of separation 38 between the two, are provided perforated ears 42. Each of these cars extend over the separation line 38, and are cut away, see Fig. 2, so that when the halves of the condenser unit are brought into abutment the ears on one half overlap the ears on the other half whereby the perforations in said ears are aligned and are substantially in vertical alignment above the line of separation. A bail 44, the ends of which are spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the condenser unit, is sprung so as to snap a pin 45 on either end thereof into each pair of aaiavse perforated ears. This manner of mounting the bail 45 allows the same to pivot between a raised, or lifting position, and a. folded, or locking position, see Figs. 2-4, and at the same time permits a ready removal of the bail to permit a separation of the condenser unit for access to the condenser lenses.

Referring to the drawing, it will be noted that an arcuate portion 46 of the ball 44 intermediate the ends thereof has a radius slightly greater than the condenser unit 33 so that this portion, when the bail is moved to its locking position, see Figs. 2-4, extends slightly beyond the periphery of the condenser unit. After the condenser unit has been inserted into the receiving portion 25, and seated at a radial flange 48 therein the bail may be moved to its locking position, wherein the arcuate portion t6 frictionally engages the wall of the receiving portion 26 and wedges the condenser unit in place in said receiving portion. This wedging action forces the condenser unit as a whole transversely of the receiving portion 26 and into engagement with that portion of the wall thereof diametrically disposed with relation to the part of the wall engaged by said ball, and this wedging action holds the condenser unit tightly in place so that it will not move when the enlarger head is rotated relative to the supporting arm l2 for horizontal projection. The difference in the diameters of the condenser unit and the receiving portion is made so small that the transverse movement of the condenser unit incident to the wedging thereof is not sufficient to displace the center line of the condenser lenses enough to impair the optical relation between the same and the enlarger lens. The arcuate portion 46 of the bail 44 includes a pair of radially extending projections 49, one on either side of the bail, which projections afford means of manually gripping the bail to raise the same from a locking position, as well as affording a surface to which pressure can be applied'to force the bail into its locking position. A projection is provided on either side of the bail, because, as will be apparent, it makes no difference whether the bail is moved to the right or left of the pivot point thereof in moving to its locking position. v

From the above description it will be understood that an enlarger constructed in accordance with the present invention permits of handling the condenser lenses as a unit so that they can be readily removed from the enlarger head for the purposes of cleaning or replacement. The disclosed arrangement also provides for an eificient and simple means of locking said condenser unit in place in the enlarger head. The fact that the bail for the condenser unit serves as a means for locking the unit in place in the enlarger head insures that said unit must be locked in place before the enlarger can be used, and also insures that the condenser unit will be released from its locking position before an attwo were of the same general shape to permit of the condenser unit being slipped into and out of the receiving portion.

Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I am fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be limited to the precise details of construction shown and described, but is intended to cover all modiflcations coming within the spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a photographic enlarger, the combination of an enlarger head including a condenser unit receiving portion, a condenser unit of smaller dimensions than said receiving portion and adapted to be removably inserted thereinto. a handle on said condenser unit for facilitating the insertion and removal of said condenser unit into and from said receiving portion, said handle movably mounted on said condenser unit to move between a locking position, wherein it frictionally engages the wall of said receiving position to wedge saidcondenser unit in place in said receiving portion, and a releasing position wherein it releases said unit from said re ceiving portion.

2. In a photographic enlarger, the combination of an enlarger head including a cylindrical condenser unit receiving portion, a cylindrical condenser unit of smaller diameter than said receiving portion adapted to be removably inserted thereinto, a bail on said condenser unit for facilitating the insertion and removal of said condenser unit into and from said receiving portion, said ball movably mounted on said condenser unit to movebetween a locking position, wherein it frictionally engages the wall of said receiving portion to wedge said condenser unit in place in said receiving portion, and a releasing position, wherein it disengages the wall of said receiving portion to free said condenser unit.

3. In a photographic enlarger, the combination of an enlarger head including a cylindrical condenser unit receiving portion, a cylindrical condenser unit of smaller diameter than said receiving portion adapted to be removably inserted thereinto, a bail on said condenser unit for facilitating the inserting and removal of said condenser unit into and from said receiving portion, said ball pivotally mounted on said condenser unit to move between a lifting position, wherein it is substantially vertical relative to the top of said condenser unit, and a locking position, wherein it is substantially parallel to the top of said unit, said bail including a portion adapted to extend beyond the periphery of said condenser unit and into frictional engagement with the wall of said receiving portion when said ball is in its locking position, whereby said condenserunitiswedgedinplaceinsaidreceiving portion.

4. In a photographic enlarger, the combination of an enlarger head including a cylindrical condenser unit receiving portion, a cylindrical condenser unit of smaller diameter than said receiving portion adapted to be removably inserted thereinto, said condenser unit comprising a pair of arcuate-portions adapted to be separated for the removal or insertion of condenser lenses thereinto, each of said arcuate portions provided with spaced peripheral grooves for seating said condenser lenses in proper spaced relation, and a .bail on said condenser unit for facilitating the insertion and removal of said condenser unit into and from said receiving P t on, said bail pivotally mounted on said condenser unit to move between a lifting position, wherein it is substantially vertical relative to the top of said condenser unit, and a locking position, wherein it is substantially parallel to the top of said condenser unit, said ball including a portion adapted to extend beyond the periphery of said condenser unit and into frictional engagement with the wall of said receiving portion when said ball is in its locking position, whereby said condenser unit is wedged in place in said receiving portion.

5. In a photographic enlarger, the combination of an enlarger head including a cylindrical condenser unit receiving portion, a cylindrical condenser unit of smaller diameter than said receiving portion adapted to be removably inserted thereinto, said condenser unit comprising a pair of arcuate portions adapted to be separated for the removal or insertion of condenser lenses thereinto, each of said arcuate portions provided with spaced peripheral grooves for seating said condenser lenses in proper spaced relation, a pair of perforated ears extending from and diametrically spaced on one end of each of said arcuate portions, the ears on one arcuate portion adapted to overlap the ears on the other arcuate portion when said arcuate portions are brought together to form the condenser unit, and whereby the perforations in said ears are in alignment, a bail having studs on each end adapted to snap into said overlapped ears for pivotally mounting said ball to said condenser unit to facilitate the insertion of the same into said receiving portions, said ball adapted to pivot between a lifting position, wherein it is substantially vertical relative to the top of said condenser unit, and a locking position, wherein it is substantially parallel tothe top of said condenser unit, said ball including an arcuate portion having a radius greater than that of the condenser unit, which portion is adapted to frictionally engage the wall of said receiving portion when said bail is in its locking position, whereby said condenser unit is wedged in place in said receiving portion, and a finger piece on sad bail adjacent the portion thereof'adapted to engage the wall of said receiving portion, whereby said ball can be gripped by the hand for moving the same from its locking position. CARTER J. HUGHEY.

. cERTIFIcAfi OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,275,75 September 5, 191m.

CARTER J. EUGHEY.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 8, before "are" insert the word "lenses"; page}, second column, line 60, claim 5, for "sad" read -sa1d--; uni that the said Letters Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of flatents.

- CERTIFICATE 'or'connfichon.

Patent No. 2,215,755. September 3, 1911.0.

CARTER J. HUGHEY.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered t t requiring correctionas foilows: Page 1 first column, lineB, before "are" umn, line 60, claim 5, for "sad" read --said--; aid that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. I

Signed and sealed this 29th day of October, D. "191 0.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of P atents.

insert the word."lenses"; page 3, second col- 

